Expandable garment waistband

ABSTRACT

An expandable waistband for a garment. Resilient expandable strips at slits in the waistband expand to accommodate stresses caused by movement of the wearer or by changes in the wearer&#39;&#39;s girth.

O Unlted States Patent 1191 1111 3,800,332 Forrest Apr. 2, 1974 [54] EXPANDABLE GARMENT WAISTB AND 993,886 5/1911 Schmitz 2/237 2,599,983 6/1952 Fanning 2/237 [76] lnvemor- Sanmd Fmrest 3 1,516,801 11 1924 Weiner et al. 2 237 Woodbury, 11797 3,438,061 4/1969 Goldberg 2 237 [22] Filed: Oct. 17, 1972 Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter PP N0.: 298,256 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Merriam, Marshall, Shapiro & Klose [52] US. Cl. 2/237 51 1m. (:1. A4lf 9/00 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 2/237, 221, 76, 236, 220 An expandable waistband for a garment. Resilient expandable strips at slits in the waistband expand to ac- [56] References Cited commodate stresses caused by movement of the UNITED STATES PATENTS wearer or by changes in the wearers girth.

1,048,633 12/1912 Zurn 2/237 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures The present invention relates generally to a selfadjusting waistband for trousers, skirts, and similar garments. More particularly, the present invention relates to a waistband which is neat in appearance and provides support and yet accommodates minor variation in the wearers girth.

Conventional high quality factory-made trousers are usually manufactured to accommodate a range of physical dimensions. The finished product can be purchased off the rack and adjusted to fit the purchaser in a series of relatively minor tailoring steps. With respect to the waist and hip adjustments, these steps involve either the taking in or letting out of one or more stitched seams in the garment.

Adjusting the trouser to fit and yet maintaining a proper drape to the garment is complicated somewhat by human physiognomy and by present-day considerations of style which tend toward a relatively close fitting garment. Two of the most important considerations are that the garment remain relatively flat in appearance in the front and that there be an excess of material in the rear of the garment allowing freedom of movement when the wearer is stooping or sitting.

The most common means for supporting a garment at the waist is a belt threaded through a series of loops around the waist of the garment. Belts tend to bunch the waistband of a garment, however, and have traditionally been viewed as stylistically undesirable, but necessary in that there was no other adequate substitute. Indeed, the art is repleat with prior attempts to substitute a built-in support system in place of the belt and loop system. All such attempts have proved unsatisfactory in th atthey have failed to solve the problem of providing an efficient, neat-appearing system that could be adapted to mass-produced off-the-rack clothing.

One example of such an attempt is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,599,983 to RR. Fanning. Fanning discloses a garment having a break in the waistband at the side pockets. Anelastic band telescopically connects the two sections of the waistband defined by the break. Thus the wearers movement is accommodated by the pockets opening and closing. The Fanning device has proved unsatisfactory in that it exposes the pocket lining to view when the waist is expanded. Additionally, the device is not well adapted to modern close fitting garments and to conventional pocket styles.

Another example of a prior art device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,048,633, to Zurn, which discloses a beltless waistband utilizing an elastic support between the garments side seam and a rear seam (or darting) above the pants rear pocket. Like Fanning, Zum presents an unsightly pocket when the waist is expanded. Moreover, the relatively long length of elastic in the waistband tends to promote unsightly bunching in the elastic-containing waistband of the garment.

Schmitz U.S. Pat. No. 993,886 illustrates a waistband having an expandable elastic strip at a slit near the rear offer an optimum distribution of forces when the waistband is placed under stress.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an expandable waistband for a waist supported garment. A pair of relatively small elastic members are sewn in the rear waistband of the garment at respective slits therein. The support system is both easy to install and does not detract from the physical appearance of the finished garment because of bunching at the waist Bunching is avoided by installing the elastic members in the waist with the slits in a normally closed (substantially vertical) position and with no stress on the elastic member. When the waist of the garment is placed under stress, the elastic expands and the slit assumes a V-shape to accommodate the forces.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the elastic strip is coated with fabric of a design similar to that of the garment itself. This serves to camouflage the V-shaped opening and to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance in the waistband of the garment.

The present waistband support system is likewise easily installed by tailoring personnel trained in the alteration of conventional off-the-rack garments. For example, one of the normal adjustments in a tailoring operation for trousers includes an adjustment at the back seams or darts above the rear pockets of the garment. The present invention involves a similar operation, except that an elastic panel is secured at this location rather than the seams themselves secured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, of a garment havinga waistband manufactured in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the waistband slits of the present invention in an expanded position.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing the waistband slits of FIG. 2 in a closed position.

FIG. 4'is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a waistband slit of the present invention, viewed from inside the garment.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a waistband slit of the present invention taken from outside the garment.

FIG. 6.is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4. I

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIGS. l-3 illustrate a garment or trousers 10 having a front fabric panel 12 and a rear fabric panel 13 joined at side seams 14, 14a (latter not shown). Trousers 10 has a waistband 11 formed in a'peripheral edge portion 16 of panels 12, 13.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, waistband 11 has a pair of discontinuations or slits 15, 15a in rear panel 13, defining respective waistband forward sections 34, 34a and a waistband rearward section 35. Slits 15, 15a, above rear pockets 51, 51a, are normally in a closed position (FIG. 3) but expand to accommodate an increase in the waistline of the wearer when stooping, sitting, or the like (FIG. 2). Application of such stresses results in slits 15, a, expanding to a V-shape as illustrated at 17, 17a exposing elastic means or strip 18, 18a, therebeneath.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, a curtain l9, coextensive with waistband 11, is secured against inside surface 20 of rear panel 13 by top stitching 21. Curtain 19 is manufactured of an inner facing 23 and an outer facing 22 joined together at curtain stitch 25. A waistband stiffener 24 is secured between curtain l9 and waistband 11 by stitching 21.

Elastic strip 18 comprises an elastic band 29 having a fabric coating 28 attached thereto by zig-zag stitching 30, 30a. Zig-zag stitching 30, 30a allows stretching of elastic band 29 under fabric coating 28 without tearing of the stitching.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, strip 18 has a base portion 32 attached to both curtain 19 and waistband 11 by base stitching at 33. Both forwardly extending portion 38 and rearwardly extending portion 39 of strip 18 are attached respectively to waistband forward section 34 and waistband rearward section by radial stitches 41, 410. This attachment is made so as to firmly accommodate the waist of the wearer when he is at rest with waistband forward and rearward sections 34, 35 defining a substantially vertical slit 15 such as illustrated in .FIGS. 3 and 4.

When stress is applied to waistband 11 by movement of the wearer, etc., slits 15, 15a expand in response to the urging of elastic band 29 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5. These expansion forces are distributed along radial stitches 41, 41a.

What is claimed is:

1. In a garment having attached front and rear fabric panels, each of said panels having respective inside and outside surfaces, a waistband in a peripheral edge portion of said attached panels, a curtain co-extensive with said waistband on said inside surfaces of said panels, a vertical slit in said rear panel through said waistband and curtain, said slit defining a waistband forward section and a waistband rearward section, the improvement comprising: 1

elastic means at said vertical slit between said waistband and said curtain, said elastic means having a forwardly extending portion, a rearwardly extending portion, and a base;

means for securing said base of said elastic means to a pair of rear pockets on said rear panel; and

each said rear pocket having said vertical slit above said pocket.

3. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said means for attaching said fabric coating to said elastic means comprises expandable stitching means, whereby said elastic means under said fabric coating may stretch without tearing said expandable stitching means. 

1. In a garment having attached front and rear fabric panels, each of said panels having respective inside and outside surfaces, a waistband in a peripheral edge portion of said attached panels, a curtain co-extensive with said waistband on said inside surfaces of said panels, a vertical slit in said rear panel through said waistband and curtain, said slit defining a waistband forward section and a waistband rearward section, the improvement comprising: elastic means at said vertical slit between said waistband and said curtain, said elastic means having a forwardly extending portion, a rearwardly extending portion, and a base; means for securing said base of said elastic means to said rear panel and said curtain; means for attaching said forwardly extending portion and said rearwardly extending portion of said elastic means to said curtain and to said waistband forward section and said waistband rearward section on said rear panel whereby said slit is urged by said elastic means to a normally closed position; a fabric coating for covering said elastic means, said fabric coating of design similar to that of said garment; and means for attaching said fabric coating to said elastic means.
 2. A garment according to claim 1, further including: a pair of rear pockets on said rear panel; and each said rear pocket having said vertical slit above said pocket.
 3. A garment according to claim 1 wherein said means for attaching said fabric coating to said elastic means comprises expandable stitching means, whereby said elastic means under said fabric coating may stretch without tearing said expandable stitching means. 